Latina and Latino Studies

latinostudies.northwestern.edu

The Latina and Latino Studies Program (LLSP) offers both a 12-course major and a 6-course minor. The LLSP interdisciplinary curriculum prepares students to critically analyze structures of power and meaning-making processes that shape subject formations and social constructions of difference as ways of knowing.  

Latina and Latino Studies classes focus on the uneven hemispheric and transnational relationships linking labor, commodities, capital, ideas, and peoples between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. Courses explore the consequences of European imperial expansions, including US empire-building and interventionism, across what became known as the United States and the Americas. In addition to examining relations of power, including its ties to domination and oppression, Latina and Latino Studies pays critical attention to agency, resistance, and creativity. Courses highlight struggles for inclusion in US society as well as efforts to transform existing conditions of inequality and build communities. Through coursework for both the major and minor, students gain a broad understanding of the intellectual routes and conceptual traditions that shape the field of Latina and Latino Studies as a project to unsettle traditional and Eurocentric modes of knowledge production and to recuperate, speculate, and illuminate other possible worlds.

Course topics within Latina and Latino Studies include political economies, everyday life, decolonial thought, social movements, transnational processes, migration and immigration, border theories, place-making, diasporas, indigeneity and settler colonialism, slavery and anti-blackness, race and racialization, feminist thought, critical analysis of gender and sexuality, histories, electoral politics, literary and cultural production and criticism, comparative and relational approaches, and expressive cultures. 

Majors and minors meet with the program advisor for advising, including review and approval of course selections and review of progress toward timely completion of the major or minor.  

Programs of Study

Learning outcomes for the Latina and Latino Studies major:

  1. Recognize and explain Latina and Latino subject formations as social constructions produced through space and place, movements, expressive cultures, and their intersections, along with the real-life effects of these social constructions.
  2. Differentiate and relate the distinct histories and contemporary experiences of various national-origin groups identified under the rubric of "Latino" - Mexican/Mexican American/Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban-American, U.S. Central Americans, and U.S. South Americans - and engage in comparative and relational analysis that considers African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans, and other racialized communities.
  3. Articulate and apply to thinking how intersections of race, class, gender, age, sexuality, nationality, and other constructions of social difference mutually and simultaneously operate within structures of power and in understanding and negotiating ways of knowing and ways of being.
  4. Discuss and critically reflect on institutional and economic power structures, social and political change, and forms of agency and resistance.
  5. Engage theory, read and write about theoretical frameworks such as colonialism, racial formations, women of color feminisms, borderlands, diaspora, and transnationalism, and recognize the various sites (i.e., academic, activist, artistic, and everyday) from which theory emerges.
  6. Develop a strong foundation as critical thinkers, informed writers, and emerging researchers across a wide array of topics, embracing historical understanding, literary and artistic sensibilities, theoretical frameworks, and social life through coursework, individual study, and, for some, honors work.

Latina and Latino Studies Courses

LATINO 101-7 College Seminar (1 Unit)   Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and introducing skills necessary to thriving at Northwestern. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.

LATINO 101-8 First-Year Writing Seminar (1 Unit)   Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and focused on the fundamentals of effective, college-level written communication. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.

LATINO 201-0 Introduction to Latina and Latino Studies: Space and Place (1 Unit)   The course offers students an overview of imperialism, colonialism, race, and capitalism to foster critical perspectives on how the Americas came to be. We will further explore how Mexican/Mexican American/Chicanx, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central American, and South American peoples are made and how individuals and communities from these backgrounds become Latinas, Latinos, Latines, and Latinxs in the United States. Historical Studies Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 202-0 Introduction to Latina and Latino Studies: Movements (1 Unit)   This course examines formations of various histories and communities through physical and social movements across, and often despite, US geopolitical boundaries. The course explores how the trans-border circulation of peoples and cultures across the Americas influence the development Latinx socio-spatial relations, intersectional identities, and politics. Additionally, it discusses the broader meanings of these dynamics for critical debates regarding democracy. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 203-0 Expressive Cultures (1 Unit)   Examines the creative and speculative works of US Latinx thinkers, artists, and everyday people. The course highlights local, national, and transnational experiences through literature, art, music, and media. Students will analyze how these expressive cultural forms grapple with ongoing legacies of colonization, migration, and displacement as well as imagine other possible worlds. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 210-0 Key Concepts and Approaches in Latinx Studies (1 Unit)   This course examines a set of central concepts and approaches — including colonialism, transnationalism, mestizaje, and Latinidades — that are foundational to the interdisciplinary field of Latinx Studies. Students will engage historical and contemporary debates around how these terms and frameworks have shaped the field and thinking about race, class, citizenship, gender, and sexuality, among other constructs of social difference. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 218-0 Latino History (1 Unit)   In this course, we will explore the 500-year history of Latinos in the United States—and, indeed, across the Americas—from the 16th century through the early 21st century. In its broadest sense, Latino History offers a reinterpretation of United States history that focuses on race, migration, labor, and empire. HISTORY 218-0 and LATINO 218-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses. Historical Studies Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 220-0 Placemaking (1 Unit)   Explores Latinas, Latinos, and Latinxs' relations to place and how they forge senses of place. The course focuses on placemaking — such as barrio formations, grassroots organizations, and artist collectives — as shaped by historical conditions and various political and economic interests. Students will engage with materials from Latinx Studies, history, sociology, literature, and the arts, including films and music. Completition of LATINO 201-0 is recommended prior to enrollment. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 222-0 Latina/o/x Youth (1 Unit)   Across the U.S., Latina/o/x/e populations are either already or en route to becoming the "majority-minority" group; youth comprise a significant segment of this population. This course will examine the cultural, social, and political contexts that help us understand the lives of Latina/o/x/e youth in the U.S. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 230-0 Grrrls Our Mothers Warned Us About: Introduction to Latine Feminist Sexualities (1 Unit)   This course examines Latina/x femmes and feminist sexualities through a broad range of visual artworks, performance, aesthetic, sexual desires, practices of survival, visual and sonic representations that disrupt and dismantle common misrepresentations of racialized sexualities centering Latina/x femmes. These varied productions of knowledge will help us understand how norms of ethnicity, race, class, nationality, and gender shape Latina/x femmes. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 231-0 Politics of the Body (1 Unit)   The course explores how the body is constructed, mediated, and negotiated through the critical lenses of race, gender, and sexuality across diverse contexts. Before taking this course LATINO 201-0 or LATINO 203-0 recommended. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 232-0 Queer and Trans Latino Studies (1 Unit)   This course will examine the histories, theories, and cultural productions of Queer and Trans Latine/x. We will explore the construction of gender and sexuality as it intersects with race, class, immigration, and other relationships of power. This course traces the development of the field through Black feminist, women of color feminist, and queer of color critique writing and activism. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 236-0 Moving and Still Images of Latinidad (1 Unit)   This course examines how Latinidad is visually constructed, contested, and reimagined through film and photography. Drawing on Latinx visual archives, students explore themes of migration, identity, memory, sexuality, and resistance, engaging interdisciplinary approaches from critical race and ethnic studies, gender, and media studies. Students also create visual projects to connect theory with practice. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 277-0 Introduction to Latinx Literature (1 Unit)   Survey of major writers and movements from Spanish colonial era to the present, covering a range of genres and ethnicities. ENGLISH 277-0 and SPANISH 277-0 are taught together; students may receive credit for one of these courses, and cannot be enrolled in both. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 312-0 Latinx Chicago (1 Unit)   The Chicagoland area has long been a home for Latina/o/x communities. These communities, spanning and spilling beyond city limits, have profoundly shaped life in the Windy City. Drawing on the ever-growing interdisciplinary scholarship on Latinx Chicago, students will explore the local formation of Latinx identities, politics, and cultural production.

LATINO 320-0 Coming of Age in Latinx Studies: Growing Up and Growing Old (1 Unit)   This seminar explores age as a social and analytical category in the study of Latina, Latino, and Latinx everyday life. Students will analyze various materials—historical and fictional narratives, ethnographic studies, essays, short stories, poetry, visual art, and popular culture — to examine how social, political, and economic structures affect life trajectories, as well as how other categories of social difference shape ideas about age and age relations. LATINO 201-0, LATINO 202-0, or LATINO 203-0 recommended before taking this course. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl

LATINO 334-0 Latino Politics (1 Unit)   Implications of Latino politics including contemporary social and political developments of Latino communities in the United States from a comparative urban framework. Focus on Mexican and Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans. POLI_SCI 334-0 taught with LATINO 334-0; may not receive credit for both. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 336-0 Latinx Sounds Studies, Sonics, and Soundscapes (1 Unit)   This seminar explores Latine Sound Studies, an interdisciplinary field that examines how sound (beyond music) functions as a technology of racialization. We will listen closely, map, assess, evaluate, and examine race, gender, and sexuality in relation to sound through listening exercises and readings from sound studies, queer of color critique, feminist theory, music studies, media studies, and Latinx studies. LATINO 201, 202, or 203 recommended.

LATINO 340-0 Race, Gender, and the Carceral State (1 Unit)   The course explores what constitutes the carceral state and its impact on Latinx communities. It analyzes how systems of punishment and control are constructed and reinforced through racialized and gendered power structures. Students study the colonial roots of carcerality, analyze the expansive reach of its punitive logics beyond incarceration into everyday life, and critically assess perspectives on transformative justice. Prerequisites: LATINO 201-0 or LATINO 231-0 recommended as prerequisites. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 342-0 Latina and Latino Social Movements (1 Unit)   Histories and ideologies of various US Latina/o social movements. Draws upon historical, ethnographic, autobiographical, and documentary accounts.

LATINO 366-0 Feminist Aesthetics of the Erotic (1 Unit)   In reflecting on Audre Lorde's concept of the erotic as a catalyst for enacting new possibilities, we will examine it as a source of knowledge, a practice of social and bodily awareness, a theoretical perspective, a method of inquiry, and creative practice. Completition of LATINO 201-0, LATINO 202-0, LATINO 203-0, or LATINO 231-0 is recommended for enrollment. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl

LATINO 368-0 Latina/o and Latine Ethnography (1 Unit)   Course focus is on cultural and political expressions and representations of Latinas/os/es in the U.S.. We will consider how historical accounts, ethnographies, and media representations are used to represent U.S. Latina/o/e life, and examine how ethnography works as a field method and a form of communication. ANTHRO 368-0 and LATINO 368-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both. Prerequisites: Introductory course (either ANTHRO or LATINO), or consent of instructor.. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl

LATINO 377-0 Topics in Latinx Literature (1 Unit)   Although content varies depending on the course topic, all versions of this course examine Latinx literature in its cultural contexts. Selected texts range from the Spanish colonial era to the present and engage with a range of genres and ethnicities. Recommended for students with prior coursework in English, Latinx Studies, or a related discipline. May be repeated for credit with a different topic. ENGLISH 377-0 taught with LATINO 377-0. Advanced Expression Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

LATINO 391-0 Topics in Latina and Latino Studies of Space and Place (1 Unit)   An advanced topics course that explores emerging or currently underexamined themes and issues related to the study of Space and Place. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic.

LATINO 392-0 Topics in Latina and Latino Studies of Movements (1 Unit)   An advanced topics course that explores emerging or currently underexamined themes and issues related to the study of Movements. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic. Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl

LATINO 393-0 Topics in Latina and Latino Studies of Expressive Cultures (1 Unit)   An advanced topics course that explores emerging or currently underexamined themes and issues related to the study of Expressive Cultures. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic. Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

LATINO 395-0 Capstone Seminar (1 Unit)  

The capstone seminar offers students the opportunity to reflect on their intellectual journey as Latina and Latino Studies majors. Students will conduct independent research and work in collaborative writing workshops. They can revisit ideas or papers from previous coursework or develop a new project. Approved projects will shape the organization and structure of the course.

Advanced Expression

LATINO 398-0 Thesis Study (1 Unit)   LATINO 398 is an independent study to support LLS majors in researching, writing, and developing their thesis projects. Prerequisite: To enroll in LATINO 398, students must apply for and be accepted into the honors program.

LATINO 399-0 Independent Study in Latina and Latino Studies (1 Unit)   Reading, research, and/or tutorials for students pursuing projects outside the context of regularly offered courses. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.